Smores... Not Just for Summer Campfires!

I LOVE smores. And I make them year round. But there is a special skill, or know-how, to achieve the perfect smore indoors. And I'm going to share how I make mine!

Need: Marshmallows, Hershey's chocolate, honey graham crackers, something thin and sort of long (skewers or chopsticks work great, a fork can be used in a pinch)

Take out one graham cracker and break it in half. so you have 2 squares. Place 1/2 a Hershey's bar on one of the squares. Turn on the burner for your stove but turn it down to medium-low. Place the marshmallow on whatever thin implement you found, and rotate it over the small flame rotisserie style until it becomes soft, golden brown, and has swelled to about 2x its original size. Place it on the chocolate and use the non-chocolate covered graham cracker half to slide it off the (skewer, fork, etc.). Cover, and enjoy!

PS... this is great with a cold glass of milk!

PPS... it's VERY easy to get caught up in eating your smore and leave the burner on. This is NOT recommended. Please remember to shut the burner off!

I Give!

It has been an awful 2 days. Nothing has gone drastically wrong, but many things have not gone right. As for the aforementioned podcast, the idea is taking a break for now. It isn't a good time for me to start something new, and I've hit so many roadblocks its not even funny.

I did do one thing today that made me a little happy. Well, two actually. The first was that I went through my queue on Ravelry on put all the yarn for those projects, plus a label saying what the pattern was and who it was for, into a ziploc bag. That way I can still see the yarn (as the bags are clear... did I need to say that?) I also started to organize my office. If I do a little bit everyday, it should be done in a week. It's very frustrating to do it for too long... so I worked in there for 20 minutes or so today.

I think I need some tea.

Podcast?!?

Yes Ladies and Gentlemen, it may soon become a reality. I'm not going to say much, because at the moment the project has hit a bit of a snag, but I will direct you here...

The good, the bad, and the possibilities

Where to start? How about with the good. I finished Sydney's Christmas hat! I really like the feeling of getting something accomplished and off my needles, but at the same time its almost a little sad not to be knitting it anymore. I get over it pretty quickly though. What is still on the needles? The SFS sock (aka bane of my current existance). If you read my last post you know I had to frog 2/3 of the leg and I'm back to having 2 inches done. Pathetic. I'm working on my mom's socks for her birthday. I have been pretty dilagent about these because socks take me a while and all my Christmas gifts are fairly small, easy, and (hopefully) quick this year so I want to have these well underway before I get too deep in those. Lastly, I'm working on some washcloths for a baby shower I'm going to in October. I want to make sure I get these done, so they have been my prime project I'm working on. Already had to rip one out after 15 rows.

So, the bad. I wanted this post to be chock full of pictures from our trip, of Sydney's hat that is finished, and of course of the kitty. Unfortunately, the batteries in my camera are dead, and I have not had a chance to find the spares or charge these ones. Ugh. So no pictures yet.

Oh, the possibilities. I have been toying with the idea of doing a podcast about knitting, books, movies, cooking, etc. Pretty much everything I mention on here. It's something I've thought about for a while, and I think I;m going to go ahead and do it. Why not? I know there are already a lot of podcasts out there, but no one has my unique perspective or intrest in things :) At least, thats what I'm telling myself. I have to check into a few more things (technical wise) to get it up and running, but who knows? Maybe we'll have a promo up in a week or two :)

That's it for now. Pictures will follow soon, I promise!

More information to follow

We are back from our Boston/Maine trip and it went great. I hope to get pictures up soon. One of the highlights of the trip (for me anyway) was getting to shop at Webs! For anyone who doesn't know, Webs is the biggest yarn store ever (that I know of). Not only do they have a large store, they have a warehouse attached... all full of yarn. I was pretty good... didn't buy one of everything. Next post should have more pictures and details of what I bought. A lot of it (ok, maybe half) was for projects already planned. The reason for this being short and abbreviated is that we are leaving again. Tonight. It's just a weekend trip to Rochester, so nothing major, but I still have to try and get everything from one suitcase, washed, and into another. Another words, more information to follow.

Coming and Going

I have been bad about blogging... I worked a lot last week, and we are leaving for Boston either tonight or tomorrow, so I wont be able to post for a while. But, on a sad note, the Socks for Soldiers sock had to be frogged. Completely. After 8 straight rows of 2x2 ribbing. I'm still not quite over it, but I hope to knit on it during our trip and get back to where I was. Maybe. And as silly as it might sound, I'm going to use a lifeline this time!

Not too much else is new. Elliot is getting big. I hope to have pictures of not only him but also from our trip. Hopefully no camera problems.

Christmas in August!

Not really. But that's what this blog post will be focused on. I told you all about the hat I'm making for my niece, Sydney, last post, so here's the rest of the list. But before I get to that...

I think I mentioned a few months ago (June?) about how I had purchased the interchangeable circular needle set from Knit Picks. I got the nickle plated set, and really have enjoyed them. Until a few days ago. I'm knitting Sydney's hat magic loop method, so I'm using my interchangeable circs from the Knit Picks set. Everything was going along fine until I realized that one of my needles kept coming loose. I would re-tighten with the little tool they give you, but a few rounds later, it would be loose again. Then I realized that the needle head must be stripped inside, because I could keep turning the needle even when it should have stopped. No biggie, I thought, I'll just finish Sydney's hat and deal with it and then order new size 6 needles in my next order from them. Last night was the final straw. It was gotten so bad that the needle and cable came apart because there was hardly any tension from the grooved part of the inside of the needle tip (does that make sense?!?). Anyway, I don't think I'm hard on needles, I've never had a problem like this before (Knit Picks needles or not). So that's that. I have to wait the week or so to get my tips in because I'm not going to have the needle fall apart on me again and have to go fishing for stitches.

Anyway, on to THE LIST. Since I already told you what I'm making for Sydney, I'll start with her sisters. Hannah is 13, and Brandee is 10, and I'm giving them both fetchings in their favorite colors. I had mentioned I was making fingerless gloves for a friend of mine, and they both wanted a pair, so I thought that would be a nice, easy, and quick gift for the. I'm using Knit Picks Shine Worsted for those. I'm also making my dad and brother hats. I'll use Stepanie Pearl-McPhee's no pattern hat pattern (same as Sydney's) and add striped in colors they like. They both wear beanie type hats outside a lot, so I know they will appreciate and use them.

Those are the major presents I'm making for Christmas. You will notice they are all small, relatively easy, and quick. I want to make hand knit gifts, but I don't want to go crazy trying to make sure they are done by Christmas. Also in my Ravelry queue is the Invisibility Shawl out of Charmed Knits. I'm not really a lace person, but I liked the simplicity of this, and I will make the small one so I can wear it more like scarf. I got some Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud to make this. Also, some friends of mine are gatting married in May, and I want to make them some washcloths and dishtowels. More on that as it gets closer as I am still debating what exactly to do.

Am I crazy for having all this planned out already?

And the rest

So I didn't really take any pictures while I was down getting Zach. I think they frown on your taking pictures of a military base and then posting them on the Internet anyway, but I may be wrong. But what I do have is a very funny video from one of the first nights Zach was home. *DISCLAIMER- no animal was harmed in any way in the making of this film*




This was so funny the first time when we did it. This video is actually the second go, and clearly Elliot had smartened up a bit. but its still funny.

On to knitting stuff... I have been busy. Mostly thinking and planning, but some knitting too. I'm still working on the afghan that I made up the pattern to, and I probably will be forever. Also still have my Socks for Soldiers socks on the needles. The pictures on both of these are awful, and I apologize. I'm hoping that either Friday or Saturday I will be home during the daylight hours so I can take better pictures near a window with natural light. I also started socks for my mom that I am using the pattern Twilight for. This pattern is from the book 2-at-a-time Socks by Melissa Morgan-Oakes. I really enjoy this book, and even though I haven't managed to knit 2 at a time on magic loop, I understand it.

Lastly, I have been working in Sydney's hat. You probably remember how I was confused by the sizing in the old pattern I was using. Yes, I said old. I'm no longer knitting the earflap hat. I decided a few days ago that for the older girls, I would knit fetching fingerless gloves. I had mentioned I was making them for a friend, and they both thought they were really cool, so i thought that would be a quick easy project they would like. That left 2 skeins of yarn in a purple and pink that I was originally going to use for their hats, since I had to order different yarn for their fetchings (different weights). I decided to follow Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's (aka Knitting GODDESS) pattern for the No-Pattern hat (ironic, I know). I'm going to add stripes using the yarn from the other girls hats, and I think it will turn out lovely. If not, oh well.

Next post I hope to expand on what I'm knitting the rest of my family (since only one of them ever reads this, I think I'm pretty safe) for Christmas, and what other projects I hope to finish by the end of the year.

Chaos. Absolute Chaos

*Warning* There will be no pictures in this post. Pictures will follow... sometime.

In the last 2 weeks a lot has happened. I got really ill, rode down to North Carolina anyway with my parents for Zach's graduation, got to see Zach for a total of like 6 hours before heading home again, had my flight canceled, rode the rest of the way with his parents, got in at 4:30AM August 1st, drove home from their house and arrived home at 5am. We did various activities that involved church picnics, retrieving cars, seeing more of Zach's family than I didn't even know existed, went to Darien Lake for Kingdom Bound, got burned really bad because we got stuck on a ride, worked for a few days, went to fair a few times, had a flood in my hometown where my parents live and where I work, and lastly helped my parents unload their basement (this was last night).

I told you it was chaos.

Not to mention I now have my husband back. Which is great. But it definitely takes getting used to... on both ends. He's not used to being here and I'm not used to having him here. But things seem to be falling into place and I think (hope, pray, etc.) that the chaos can go visit someone else for a week or so. Please?

PS- I will be getting random pictures up sometime. Of what? Nothing is certain but pictures of Elliot... because there are ALWAYS pictures of Elliot.

Blossoms

This weekend is going to be crazy. It already is crazy and it is already Saturday afternoon. I worked this morning, I'll go to church tomorrow morning, then I have a graduation party and a family reunion tomorrow afternoon. It's also the last weekend before Zach comes home, and I'm trying to get everything done that I wanted to before he gets here.

My mom is not a baker. She makes really good brownies, and that's about the extent of it. (We love her anyway... mostly for the brownies). So when I found out she was planning on making brownies and break and bake cookies for the family reunion, I decided to help out and make cookies (from scratch- none of that break and bake stuff for me). My mom requested peanut butter blossom cookies, and I happily complied.
They taste good... of course I had to try one to make sure they were ok. Now if they will only travel well tomorrow... the reunion is about an hour away.

I also got some yarn a while back, and I'm pretty sure I didn't put pictures up (if I did, you're getting them again). This first one is the yarn I got for my Socks for Soldiers socks. I am still waiting to start these because the needles I need are currently being used. I'm hoping to have these with me on the LONG drive to North Carolina this week. I think it would be very fitting to be working on these on my way down to Zach's military graduation.
These next two are yarn I got in an order from Alpaca Direct. There was some yarn I wanted that was cheapest from here, and of course you can't oder yarn without buying enough to get the free shipping, so I bought these. This color is called Londonberry, and I just fell in love with it.
This yarn I got because it is my mom's favorite color. She has a lot of things in this cobalt blue, and I thought she needed a nice pair of comfy hand knit socks to go with her collection. I'm hoping to do these for her birthday or Christmas (which are 4 days apart, so it really doesn't matter which).
And lastly, what would a post be without a cute picture of Elliot?

One week, 9 days, and who knows?

So it's been a week since I last blogged. I was in Rochester for the weekend, worked both jobs on Monday, and worked, had my charity knitting/crochet group, and went to a movie night at a friends house yesterday. Therefore, I have not blogged.

9 days until Zach comes home :) Although, I get to see him before that. We (his parents, my parents, and myself) are leaving Wednesday afternoon for North Carolina and should get there Thursday afternoon, so I will get to see him then. It will be so nice to have him home again. It's hard to describe what it is like to not have him here. I miss him for the big stuff, like dealing with issues with our bank accounts and trying to decide where we are going to live. But I miss him for the small stuff too, like dinner and movie nights, cleaning the apartment, playing with the kitten, and lots of other little moments you never realise mean so much until you don't have them anymore.

As for the who knows in the title, that is relating to the knitting. Who knows how long it will take me to finish something. Anything. Who knows what I will start next? Who knows why I start so many things? Still working on Sydney's hat. Honestly, I'm thinking of ripping it out and doing the fair isle (or intarsia, can't remember which) version instead of the solid color version. It's kind of boring, both to knit and to look at. So I may be ordering more yarn in complimentary colors for the girls hats. Also still working on my first sock, although I am past the heel and working down the foot. It ended up kind of large, but other than that I am happy with how it is turning out. Also plugging along on the charity baby blanket and the afghan that I am making for Zach and I. I really need to finish one of these.

So I decided that since I originally started this blog to talk about books and knitting, I realised I have fallen short on the book part. So I figured I would start with what I am currently reading. I'm actually reading 2 things right now (does this really surprise you?). The first is Wealth on Minimal Wage by James Steamer. It's not a new book or anything, but its really interesting and has given me better ideas on how to manage out finances. The other book I'm reading is Chicks with Sticks (KnitWise) by Elizabeth Lenhard. This si the 3rd (I think?) book in the Chicks with Sticks series and, as you may be able to tell from the title, its about knitting. The books are a little below my usual reading level, but they are a nice easy read to pick up and breeze through.

Lastly, a picture of the kitten...

Sukiyaki

What is Sukiyaki, you ask? It's this. (I know. Wikipedia. I have mixed feelings about it. But its getting late and it has everything you could wanna know about it). My cousin is with me for the week, and he is super into Japanese culture and food. He has even taken lessons to learn the language for a few years. It's cool. So two of my friends came over and he made us his version of it. I regret now that I didn't take a picture, although it did look similar to that picture up there. You cook everything in its own section of the pan (or wok. whatever). I ate most of it. I found out I'm not a big fan of tofu, but I tried it.

Anyway, knitting is going ok. I got past the heel on my sock and I'm decreasing toward the foot. That's exciting. I've been thinking of not finishing the second sock. I know, I know. Second sock syndrome. But I should be getting my yarn for the Sock for Soldiers socks, and I know I'm going to want to work on those. And I also have my New Bern socks, which are just fun to work on because they go so fast. Guess we'll just see. Maybe I will do the other one just for more practice.

Lastly, a much cuter picture of Elliot than the one I posted last:

Progress is as progress does

I have actually made decent knitting progress the past few days. I have 4 squares done for my charity baby blanket I am working on. Can't remember if I have mentioned that before or not. While I was looking for yarn to start Socks for Soldiers socks I decided to make a baby blanket with squares. The ladies were picking on me because I only get one square a week done... which is the square I do during our knitting time. I really should start working on it during the week too so I finish it before Christmas.

I also have almost finished the heel flap on my "lets try this again" socks. I'm excited to get further on those, but I can almost feel like I might get second sock syndrome. I am going to have to explore doing 2 socks magic loop. My other socks, the New Bern socks, I am doing magic loop and they are going pretty well. those socks are fun to work on because the yarn is so squishy and pretty colors and its thicker than the other yarn, so it goes faster. But I'm trying to make myself work on other stuff like...

Sydney's Thorpe. It's still going... it just seems to take forever. Probably because I only do a row or two at a time because I get bored. The yarn is nice... but I'm frustrated with the pattern. I wish I would have done the fair isle version because this one is boring and plain. I may just rip it out and start again. Also there was the whole sizing problem. Let's not get started on that again.

So all in all its working out pretty well. Maybe I should have Alex here more often :-)

And lastly... a picture of the crazy kitten...

Elliot: I have to eat to be big and strong!

Rough Patches

It's been a rough few days, with losing our friend on Thursday, but we're making it through. It helps that we have so many other friends that knew him, and we're all supporting one another. It will be a while before we are able to have get-togethers without that weighing over everyone's head.

On a more positive note, I have managed to get some knitting done. Nothing finished, but I have started the heel on my "lets try this again" socks. I have been plugging along on Sydney's earflap hat... I'm hoping it will fit. I had talked in an earlier post about the sizing issues with this pattern. I'm not totally in love with it, but I think I will see how it goes. I may end up frogging it and making something else. We'll see. Then there are the "New Bern" socks that I started on my trip to NC on one magic loop, because I didn't have dpns (see? I'm flexible). Those go much faster than my other socks because the yarn is heavier. I'm kind of dragging my feet on those until I get further with my other projects, if that makes any sense.

Today's project is so clean out my office some. It's become a dumping ground for wedding presents with no home and military junk alike. I did manage to get most of my yarn stored in the entertainment center before sitting down to write this. Off to more cleaning... hope your weekend has been less depressing than mine.

Losing a Friend

What do you say when you have lost a friend? Someone to talk and laugh with during Sunday School, or to message on facebook. Someone your husband had things in common with, and talked to earnestly about their respective branches of service. To have it happen so suddenly is shocking to the soul.

Of course, we know we will see him again. There is no doubt that he will be waiting for us. But it doesn't make it any easier knowing he left behind a mother and a sister. He joins his dad again, and that must be amazing for both of them. But for all of us here, its a lot of sorrow and sadness. A lot of wondering why, and how.

There can't be understanding with this. Now now, not this soon. It never seems like the right time, and its always blindly putting one foot in front of the other that gets you through. This time is different. Its someone so close, someone so honest and real. To quote my brother, "The world has lost both the nicest and most humble man it will ever know- and Heaven has gained that same man. See you on the other side Daniel Miller"

Pictures

The place we stayed was a hotel and marina, so we could walk to the back of the hotel and see out onto the river and the docks.

It's a corny picture, but I wanted at least one of the two of us!

This was the bridge that they were redoing. Further down it looked like they were starting to tear it up.

My handsome husband ;)

Yes, this is a real town in North Carolina. We had to take a picture just for laughs.

This was a park we stopped at when we were driving around. It also opened up onto the river, and there was a place where people could put their boats into the water.

This last one is a little blurry, but I wanted to put it in here anyway because this is our view from our window. You can see all the boats waiting for the fireworks to start!

Home again

I'm finally adjusting to my normal schedule after my crazy trip to North Carolina to see Zach. We had a really nice time just hanging out, driving around to see different hings, and watching the fireworks from our hotel window across the river. It really was a great trip. Getting home was a completely different matter. The airport I flew out of was so tiny the same people that worked the desk for the airlines were also the flight crew. It was crazy. My first flight was delayed, which was going to make me miss my connecting flight in Charlotte, and they told me there wasn't another one they could get me on until 4AM Monday. I was so upset I walked outside and called Zach and my parents. It wasn't a pretty call. My dad advised me to take the flight to Charlotte, whenever it came in, and that I would probably have more luck getting on a flight from there than trying to do it through this tiny airport. When the guy put me back on the flight to Charlotte, he stuck me on a flight to Buffalo that they told me earlier was full. I had a 3 hour layover in Charlotte, but I was just glad to be going home.

I have pictures from the trip that I will have to put in a later post. I also got some YUMMY yarn from a little shop 10 minutes from where we stayed. The shop was called Weavers Webb, and they had a nice selections of yarns, knitting and crochet supplies, and weaving supplies. I was really surprised that we found it, because it wasn't something I had looked up. I practically ripped Zach's arm off when we passed it trying to make him turn around, which he did. He even went in with me and helped me pick out yarn. What a guy!

So, more pictures and project updates to come. Hope you 4th of July weekend was as great as mine was :)

Travel Plans

I leave bright and early tomorrow morning to fly down the North Carolina to spend 4 days with Zach. Its the first time I have seen him since I left him at the airport June 1st. I'm really excited about it :) I have plans for us to watch fireworks over the river, but mostly we are just going to relax and enjoy spending time with each other.



Not much knitting progress has happened. I haven't worked on Sydney's Thorpe hat in a while, because I decided I would take that in my suitcase down with me for times when we are driving and such. Plus I thought Zach would like to see it. I am taking my socks with me as airplane knitting for the flight down and back. I'm knitting these on bamboo needles, so I'm hoping they wont give me a hard time. I think that is all the knitting I am going to take.



I had my charity knitting and crochet group again last night. We didn't have as many people as we did last week, but thats ok. I know summer is hard for people as far as vacations and sports and such, so I'm hoping the group will really pick up in the fall. After casting on and ripping out 5 different things Monday night, I decided to start knitting squares for a baby blanket for the Linus Project. Thats what many of the women are working on also, some in squares and some as whole blankets. My mother-in-law is just getting back into crocheting after a few years, and didn't want to tackle anything too involved, so she is crocheting a hat that is so cute. Its made out of this soft burgandy yarn (probably acrylic) and is an open stitch pattern, so it could be worn in the summer. This will be donated to Chemo Caps.



Thats about all for now. Of course we can't have a post without a picture of Elliot, the kitten. This was one we took soon after we got him. We lovingly dubbed it, "The Kitty Taco".

Progress, Progress

Sydney's Thorpe is coming along nicely. Here is an update:

Sorry for the poor picture quality. I took it with my camera phone in a dark area of my living room. I'm pretty pleased with how it is turning out and with how quick it is going. Normally I am not a quick knitter, and I've managed to get this much done since yesterday morning.

I feel very organized... about my knitting anyway. Today I gave more thought to what I want to make people for Christmas, since I decided to try and make a lot of my gifts this year. I picked out a hat that I will make for both my father and brother and queued those, along with the other two Thorpe's for my nieces and a lace shawl and felted knitting basket for me. I know it seems kind of crazy; me planning and working on Christmas knits. But now is a good time for me to start, and I probably wont get a whole lot done in the 2-3 months Zach is home from August to October. Plus, like I mentioned before, normally I am not a fast knitter, so if I want to get all this done and actually sleep the week before Christmas, it makes me feel better to start now.

I want to make a lap blanket for my mom for Christmas, but I don't want anything difficult or too involved. The cat always sits on her lap anyway, so I know this will get covered in cat hair, which is why I will make it out of machine washable yarn. But I can't really find a pattern that is calling out to me to make it for her. The Cable Comfort Throw is nice, but I'm not sure its what I want to make.

Danny, my brother, is getting a beanie for Christmas. But he mentioned how a scarf would be nice, especially while he is refereeing games at college. So now I have to find a nice scarf that he would actually wear and make that for him too. I think I will make it in gray, but put stripes of the slate blue that I am using for his hat. I also want to make his girlfriend, Amy, a scarf for Christmas. The yarn I want to use doesn't have great stitch definition, but its super soft, so whatever I decide to do can't be super intricate because you will never see it.

Decisions, decisions!

I recently because a member of the group Socks for Soldiers (or SFS). I have to say, at first I was a little put of by what they ask of their members and all you have to do to become one. But Kim Opperman is super nice, and is only strict because she wants the best for our service members. Obviously this charity is near and dear to my heart with Zach being in the military. I really hope that I can get good enough at socks that I can crank them out and really help contribute.

Lastly, a cute picture of the kitten!

Fireworks!

I love fireworks. Yolanda and I heard about fireworks over at one of the local wineries from her sister, so we went over and watched. Here is the video from the finale. Enjoy!

Sydney's Thorpe

So I have started the first of three earflap hats for my nieces for Christmas. I know its kind of early, but I want to make a lot of my Christmas gifts this year, and since I'm making three I wanted to spread them out a little bit. I started it this morning. Here is a pictorial status update:

Not too shabby for a half hour's work. I really like how it is coming out so far. I have to say, I was a little confused on the sizing. I figured when it had small, medium, and large, they were adult sizes, because they show adults (or at least teenagers) modeling the hats in the pictures. However, when I compared the finished circumfrences with those in Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's book Knitting Rules, the small would fit a 1-2 year old! Not going to fit my 5 year old niece. So I kept increasing for the mediu msize, which should fit her all right, if not be a little large. The only problem I am having now is I don't know what size to make for her older sisters, who are 11 and 13. Probably just make the adult size. Better too big than to small, right?

I'm using knit picks interchangeable circs for this project and I am really enjoying working with them. I wish they made a smaller cable though, because the 24" that came with the set is just tooo big to work nicely. I have to keep doing this weird shifting and pulling cable through thing every 12 stitches or so. But other than that, they are nice and sharp and have smooth joins.

Kitty can sleep anywhere!

Melting

Its pretty warm up here. I say up here because I have been tracking the weather in Jacksonville, NC because its as close to where Zach is as I can get. We have been as warm if not warmer than them this whole week. Don't get me wrong, I love it warm. But its SO humid today. Yesterday we had thunderstorms and the humidity seems to have carried over.

No new knitting to report, sadly. Although I did neglect to mention that I started a charity knit and crochet group at church this week and it went pretty well. I'm hopfully going to be casting on a hat for chemo caps this weekend so I at least have something to take with me to the meeting to show I did something. Other than that, mostly what I have been working on. Socks... are going, but going slowly. I had ripped them completely out after getting past the heel on Tuesday night because I messed up on the heel flap, but decided to keep going to figure out how the heel worked. Figured I had made it this far, might as well get over the hard part before I rip it out. I have only done a few rows done after casting back on the other night. Still have the crochet squares blanket of my own design going. The squares only take me an hour or so to do, but usually other things seem more interesting :) I plan on having that done for this fall though. I need to start Sydney's earflap hat... I have three of them to do so I might as well get going. Sydney's will be the smallest, so I figured I would start with hers. If you look at my previous post, her hat will be made witgh the Marlin colorway of Knit Picks comfy bulky.

Even the kitten is warm...
Poor kitty. Hope your day is less sticky than mine!

Yarn!

I am so happy! I placed an order for yarn for many of my Christmas gifts, as well as a few things for me. Knit Picks is my new favorite place to order yarn from. I was was really happy with everything I had ordered, it came in a timely manner, and everything was reasonably priced. Here are some pictures of what I got:

yarn to make socks for me :)

yarn for socks for ZachYarn for Hannah's earflap hatYarn for Brandee's earflap hatYarn for Sydney's earflap hat
Yarn to make a felted knitting basket

This is yarn I got to make a striped scarf for my cousin :) sorry for the crazy picture layout... its the black and two shades of green.

And last but not least...


This is 2 luxurious sheins of Alpaca Cloud in the Smoke colorway to make the invisibility shawl. Usually I am not a lace person and I have never knit a lace shawl before, but the simplicity and fun aspect of this drew me to it. Plus, I listen to Kelley Petkun's Knit Picks podcast and lace is a favorite topic of hers. If all goes well, I may try to make a simple but elegant lace scarf for my Aunt for Christmas. We shall see!

Chocolate Chip Cookies and Pasta Salad

Elliot continues to amaze me. Not because he is brilliant, however. He ate pasta salad today. Like actually chewed and swallowed 2 noodles with Italian dressing and cheese. No veggies for him though. He truly is a special cat.

I'm trying to be productive tonight. I actually got 15 more thank yous done. Its so sad. My wedding was three months ago. I can't even really use the school excuse anymore cause I've been done for 3 weeks now. They take a while cause I'm handwriting each one and its not a hard-and-fast message I'm writing in them, because some people just sent money and did not come to the weeding, some came, etc. I just finished baking cookies for Zach's care package I plan on sending our Friday. I still have to get some necessities he asked for (sunflower seeds, sour patch kids, bug lotion, and a red bulbed flashlight) but at least I know what I have to get.

I was thinking today as I looked about my living room, why does it seem like one never has enough space? before we got married, I never really paid attention to trying to make everything seem like it belonged and making it look organized. I swear it was because we didn't have as much stuff, so it wasn't an issue. Now, however, its like we always have random stuff I can never find places for, or not enough space in places I try to make for things. It's frustrating. I think after I get back from visiting Zach I'm going to block one of the weekends I have left and completely clean the apartment. I'll try to get all the basic stuff caught up before then (dishes, laundry, vacuuming, etc) so that I can focus on organizing. I think I'll need one whole day for my office, so maybe I'll save that for Sunday because it will be the most time consuming and the least important. We don't hang out much in there (ok, Zach only really stores stuff in there and I haven't been in there since it became the place to store stuff from the wedding we don't know what to do with) so if it is the only room that doesn't get done, I wont be to broken up over it.

Wow, that was a really long ramble on how I need to be more organized. Sorry for that. Made me feel better though :)

He takes after his father

My kitten is insane. Certifiably loco. For the past 25 minutes he has been running and jumping around the apartment like he is being chased my something, which he isn't. He plays with anything he sees, whether it moves or not and whether or not it is attached to him. Walls and vertical objects are not a hindrance, just more running space. Moving at the speed of light isn't fast enough.

I keep joking with my friends that Elliot (the kitten) takes after Zach. They are both such BOYS. That and Elliot always makes messes I have to clean up, much like someone else I know (eh hmm, laundry especially). But we wont go into that.

Finally finished Yolanda's fetching and I don't like it. I don't think it was the right yarn for the project and it was hard knitting something that was black because the stitched were hard to see. I think I might just order some nice purple yarn from knit picks and try try again. Such a shame though. Oh well

The Summer

It's that time again when Zach leaves for the summer and I'm left to enjoy (or not) the summer by myself. This time its not as long as last summer, so that's what I'm trying to focus on. Maybe I will get lots of knitting and organizing with him gone.

We finally named little kitty: Elliot! He is so cute, but he is definitely playful. I feel bad because some nights I come home from being gone all day and he just want to play play play and I'm done after 15 minutes. Luckily he is starting to play on his own with some of the toys we bought him.

Not too much else to report really. I am almost done with one of Yolanda's fetchings. I just did the last cable row so I think there is only 4 more rows left, the bind off, and then the thumb. The thumb kind of scares me. I was pretty proud considering I went from having like 40% to 90% done the other night. I am hoping after I get my errands done tomorrow that I will be able to finish it and maybe work on a baby blanket? I wont let myself start ANYTHING else until I get at least one of those done. Oh yeah, should probably work on wedding thank yous too. I bet if I really wanted to I could finish those. That would be cool. We'll see what happens.

Unnamed Kitty

We got a kitten! He is a cute 10 week old white and brown striped cat. It is hard to get a decent shot of him because he moves so fast and is still exploring, but here he is:


He hasn't figured out that you cannot walk through the window screen we put up between our living room and kitchen (where we are keeping our little guy for a while). He loves to play with yarn. I cut a piece thinking I would play with him for a little while, but he took it away and played happily by himself for 10 minutes! We still don't have a name... nothing we have come up with seems to fit. Hopefully we'll think of something soon.

Knitting is going well. I have been so determined to finish those blankets I haven't worked on much else, but I'm on my last skein of yarn for Aubrey's and over half done with Nicholas'. I also got another few rounds done on Yolanda's fetchings. I hope to have those done in another week or two.

I bought Teach Yourself Visually Sock Knitting by Laura Chau today at A. C. Moore. Zach actually suggested I buy this a few weeks ago, but I stobbornly said I didn't think it looked that good. I thought it would be one of those generic knitting help books put out by people who didn't actually knit. Boy was I wrong. This book has instructions for every way you could want to knit socks (magic loop, dpns, 2 circs, flat, toe up, cuff down, etc) with GREAT pictures illustrating every move. I think this is just what I need to get going on socks. Another great part of this book is a kind of troubleshooting area in the back. It not only tells you all the common mistakes made in knitting, it has pictures to show you what it looks like AND tells you how to fix it. It is definately going to be close by the next few weeks.

I should probably stop my kitten from eating my kitchen chair...

Simplicity

Its a funny word really. Like one of those unattainable things that taunts those of us who are too busy for our own good. I thought that after school was out that things would get less hectic, but life hasn't slowed down a bit. It's always one thing or another eating away at our time. Making life more simple is something Zach and I have talked about a few times, but then it seems like we can never do anything to get there. Part of that is because Zach is a mover and a shaker. He likes to be always doing things. Not that he doesn't enjoy just vegging out to a movie with some good snacks, but he likes to be around people and doing things. I'm more of a homebody. I like to stay home, maybe clean or organize, read, knit, watch a movie, talk about things, etc. Not that I don't like to get out and do things with our friends, but I guess I'm just more reserved where Zach is more outgoing.

Now that I have rambled on without mentioning knitting once, I suppose I should give you an update. Still. working. on. baby. blankets. I have GOT to get those things done. Its just one more thing on my list of things to get done and I'm getting kind of sick of them, truth be told. Plugging along on Alex's scarf. I'm not too worried about this. Ok, not worried about it at all. It's a Christmas gift, and its mostly mindless knitting, so I figure especially once the baby blankets are done I can work on that during car rides, short waits in various places, or while watching a movie. I also started Yolanda's fetchings and those are moving along nicely. I"m really enjoying the pattern and want to make myself a pair after I'm done with hers. The only plave I see myself getting confused is the thumb, but I figure I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

I got my knit picks order in today. I love that place. They have great stuff and its AFORDABLE. I had ordered 2 40" long circulars in sizes 2 and 3 for socks. I think I may try one more time before Zach leaves and I go to Barb (LYS owner) for a lesson. I have always pretty much figured stuff out on my own and its really bugging me that I can't get this. I also got Socks a la Carte, Knit So Fine, and Things I Learned From Knitting Whether I Wanted To Or Not. I've been working through Knitting Rules for a while now. Normally I tear through books because I'm a fast reader, but I have been making myself slow down for this book because I love it so much. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee has such a great writing style and very real attitude toward knitting. Its a refreshing read and makes me want to write my own knitting book. Not likely, but still fun to think about.

New Starts

School is out completely now and I start my new job on Monday. I'm nervous, but its a good kind of nervous I think. It will be a nice change and I'm hoping I really like it there. I also started a new project... I broke down and bought some more size 6 dpns for knitting Yolanda's fetching. I left the first pair in Rochester, and I wont get those for at least another 2-3 weeks. I should be done with these by then, and I felt bad making her wait so long for them. I'm hoping they will work nice for when she is on her crutches more.

Still plugging along on those baby blankets. I would love to have those done by the twins' 3 month birthday (June 11th) but I don't know if that is going to happen. I should have just made hats. Jeesh. Anyway, I need to get those and my wedding thank yous out and done ASAP.

After those are done, I want to start looking at afghans. I want to make my in-laws a nice afghan for Christmas, and I really want to get going on it so I know I will finish. I brought home a few books from the library and I think I will have Zach help me pick out the final one I decide to make. I also am waiting until Zach is gone to set up knitting help with socks. The owner of a local knitting store offered to teach me how to know socks by appointment, which is really handy. I really want to be able to make socks for Zach while he is gone to send to him, but I figure it can wait until he has left for SOI. Leaves me something to look forward to, right?

Almost there

I finished both washcloths for mothers day, and they were both well received. After that rush of time crunched knitting, I feel like I don't have much to work on. I want to finish these baby blankets and get them out of my mind to focus on other things. I'm waiting to take a sock class until after Zach leaves. Its something to look forward to. I can't start Yolanda's fetchings until I get my needles from my cousin in Rochester where I left them last weekend. I don't know what to do.

Getting back to the title of this post, I am almost done with this semester. I have an exam tomorrow morning and Wednesday afternoon and then I'm done. I still have to think about what I am doing next semester and get a move on with it. I found 1-2 classes I could take at night at Fredonia, but I don't feel like doing that to myself. I think I'm going to apply at Empire State and see what happens. Ok, enough procrastinating. Back to studying for computer science.

Stress, Stress, Stress

I hate the last week of school. I never remember how bad it is until I get there and then I never remember how I make it through. I'm not going to sleep for the next 2 days. There is just too much going on outside of school right now. Life is happening at a very bad time! Knitting has been pretty much nonexistent except for 2 rows on my mom's washcloth for mother's day. Oh well.

Frustrations

I am thinking I may never learn to knit socks. I've tried dpns and 2 circulars, I've tried 2 different patterns, and its been at least 3 weeks. I'm thinking I may have to break down and find a class to take. Maybe The Woolgathering in Brocton (the yarn shop I have been going to the past few weeks) offers one. I'll have to ask next time I'm in.

I'm also frustrated because I cannot find my copy of a book that I am knitting the scarf for my cousin from. I get a lot of books out from the library, knitting and otherwise, and those usually are under the end table next to the couch or on the floor right in front of it. Sometimes my own get mixed in the piles, but if not they are usually in my office with the rest of my knitting stuff, except for my current wip's, which sit in a basket next to the couch. Granted, I only had about 4 minutes to look last night, but as I didn't see it in either place it frustrates me that it would even be anywhere else.

My friend is still in the hospital. It really bums me out that she's there and that they haven't released her yet. Some minor things went wrong, and they aren't letting her go until at least this afternoon, maybe tomorrow. I was planning on knitting some fingerless gloves for her anyway, but now I really wanted to get a move on so she could wear them when zooming around on her crutches. Maybe I could also make a huge sock to put over her cast once she can get fitted for a hard one. Anyway, off to do homework instead of knitting. Last full week of school with papers and exams at the end of the week.

Home again

We were in Rochester this weekend visiting my family. Always a good time. I ripped out my socks that I had started and got different yarn. I'm going to try again with teh new yarn (just because its new and I want to use it :) and try the 2 socks on two circular needles method. See if that goes any easier. Finished my MIL's mother's day gift. Just have to do my mom's now. Hopefully it gets done before Sunday! Also going to start something for Yolanda seeing as she is going to be laid up for a while.

Steps forward, steps backward

So I have a few new things going. I started my first pair of socks, which are going along nicely. I haven't had a whole lot of time to work on them, so they sit with just the cuff done on one. I am hoping after finals to get more time to be able to concentrate on what I am doing. I started a scarf, realized I messed up after about 6 inches, ripped the whole thing out this morning, and started over. Sometimes I need to just do that rather than try to frog back to a certain place. I also still have the twins blankets I am working on... they are becoming a big pain. I want to move on to other things, but I wont let myself start something big because those need to be finished first.

One of the reasons I really want to finish those is Zach wants a blanket. He is going to pick out the yarn and just wants me to make him a really big comfy blanket. He picked out a pattern, which I will probably have to tweak a little depending on the type of yarn he brings home. I want to crochet it because I don't have any very long circular knitting needles, but I really don't want to start another crochet project with two already going.

Rough draft for a big essay is due tomorrow and I only have 1 1/2 pages out of AL LEAST 5 done. I just cannot get into this. It is on Supreme Court cases, which isn't all that bad. I don't know what my problem is. I have to go into to work in a few hours and them we're doing something with Zach's parents at church tonight, so I have to get most of it done now... finish in the morning at the school computer lab. Fun. Off to work on it now...

Yay! FO

So I finally finished something! Its a very small and easy something, but I did that on purpose. I felt like I needed a jump start and hopefully seeing this finished project will help. This was taken just before finishing the last repeat.

So anyway, there's my lovely Eastery dishcloth. I still have the twins blankets to finish... I'm setting a goal for May 15th to have them done. Maybe I'll take pics soon. I also want to figure out who is getting handmade gifts for Christmas this year and start on those. I'm starting WAY early this year so maybe I actually get them done. Yolanda is getting some cute penguin washcloths as a going away/moving gift for when she goes off to college in the fall. I would also like to make Zach something while he is gone, but I want to get a few more projects under my belt first. SO many projects, so little time!

I'm Back!

Wedding is done, honeymoon is over, real life has set in and I think we're finally back into the swing of things. It was quite a crazy month and a half there for a while. I really don't have much knitting/crocheting to report other than I'm still working on the baby blankets for the twins... who were born a week after my wedding. Aubrey and Nicholas are so adorable! I feel a little bad about not having their blankets done for them, but really, they don't know the difference and I just got too busy with the wedding and all. Getting married really kinda takes over your life!

I just started on a washcloth last night just to get myself back into knitting. I'm hoping to have it done by the end of the weekend but if it takes longer that's ok too. I'm VERY excited because I ordered some sock dpns and put a highly recommended beginning sock book on hold at the library. I work at the library on Thursday, so I hope the package has come by then too, but we'll see. I still need to pick up sock yarn anyway. But I'm very excited to learn how to knit socks...

February

I think this has to be the oddest month. I'm not really sure why, but it just seems to be odd to me. Not nice weather (ever!), the only holiday is Valentines day (which after all the holidays in nov and dec and jan seems sad) and its so short! Maybe I'm just prejudice.

Anyway, I realized something the other day. I have never knit from a pattern. I look at patterns, think they are nice, and might even use them as an idea for something I knit. But I always just wing it, making it up as I go. Now, up until a few days ago I had only knit/crochet scarves, blankets, and knifty knitter hats. Not exactly complicated stuff. But I'm really interested in getting better and expanding my horizons, so I decided I wanted to make myself a hat without the loom.

I found the most amazing hat here and decided that this was going to be the hat I made for myself. I ignored the warning *this is not a pattern for beginners* and forged on. I was using a really pretty soft black yarn that I can't think of right at the moment. It took about 15 minutes for me to become frustrated and give up. I am still a beginner, and that pattern was not for me. So I decided to just wing it. I'm not very far yet, and I'm not even sure that this will work, but if it seems like it might I will put up pictures. Wish me luck!

Back to the cycle of life

School started on Monday, and even though I only go three days a week its still a grind. Wake up, go to school, maybe go to work, come home, do homework, find something for dinner, do more homework, try t0 get some baby blanket done, MAYBE clean, drop in bed, repeat. Its just a pain and a chore. And on top of all that I'm frustrated with myself. Frustrated that I didn't take more time to decide what I really wanted to go for. Frustrated that I didn't stop when I thought I should and think about what I really wanted to go for. I like to read and write, and I always will. But I don't think that is going to be my day job once I get out of college, so an English degree (while pretty versatile) isn't going to get me my dream job. Not that I know what what is. But still. Anyway, this turned out be be more rant than anything else, so I guess I should stop here.

Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have a Ring!

That's right, I got my engagement ring back! I was very excited last night when Zach gave it back to me after stopping in at the jewelers/ The wax for my wedding band is done, now I just need to stop in and ok the design! It's very exciting!

Ok, its time to get serious about these baby blankets. Here is the girl baby blanket:
This one is kinda hanging out until I figure out how to attach a new skein of yarn. I'm guessing its not all that difficult, but I just haven't sat down and tried to do it yet. Maybe that will be one of this afternoon's projects.

And secondly, here is the baby boy blanket:
Sad, I know. I'm favoring them before they're even born! Kidding... I just didn't have the right yarn until Tuesday, so this is only two days old. I really need to get working though... who knows how much longer I have until they are born. On top of that, I'm not even sure of the gender of either of them! I really do think it will be a boy and a girl, but it could be 2 boys or 2 girls. If I'm wrong, I gotta work fast and whip up another in the appropriate colors!

Baby Blankets!

I started the second baby blanket finally! Zach and I stopped at JoAnn's today and I got some blue/white/green yarn that looks nice for a boy :) Now I just have to make them super quick before the babies get here!

Car is still in bad shape. Not sure if/when I will get it back. In the meantime I think my dad is going to give me what would be my brothers car if he had a job to pay for it. Mind you, the last time I drove one of "Danny's" cars, I blew it up along the 90. Not something I want to relive anytime soon.

So Zach had to go to Walmart to get notebooks and binders etc. because he started school today, and I figured while we were there I would get some since I start next week. Most depressing thing I have done since put the Christmas decorations away! I do NOT want to go back. I know its the right thing to do. I know its what makes the most sense. But this does not make me want to do it. Do I really have ot go?

All at once...

My car is out of commission. Again. For anyone out there who has heard how I blew up my brothers car... well... apparently I almost did that to this one too, but we caught it earlier. I'm so nice to my car! Zach and my dad were laughing about it earlier. Zach drives like a crazy man sometimes and doesn't treat his truck nice at all... I baby my car and it all but blows up on me. Figures.

One thing that kinda brightened my day was this.Just something to make ya laugh to yourself a little. We took engagement photos today... and I think that's all I want to say on the subject for now. I'm not sure what to do with my hair for the wedding. I thought I had it figured out, but now I'm not sure. Any ideas?

Wedding Pow Wow Recap

So we had our "pow wow" last night with the two set of parents and I think it went pretty well. We are hopefully going to the Moose tonight to check it out and pay down the deposit and make the appointment to meet with the caterer. Decorations are coming together... the only thing that isn't really caught up is the flowers. Ugh. Do I HAVE to have flowers? I really don't see the need... but i will anyway.

Blanket is coming along... I've been trying to work on it in car rides when Zach drives. I think I'm another four rows up or something like that. I went to go see Theresa in the hospital today... she had her baby girl yesterday! She is still in the ICU but she will be fine and the baby is fine. I didn't get to see the baby but maybe sometime in the next week when things settle down I can pop over for a visit with Karen. I'm going to visit Shannon tomorrow... so many babies! I know I wont be having any for a while, but it seems like everyone else is!

My Bad...

Ok, so I've been a little busy. And I don't even have that much to report. Oh yeah, I made some people mad (namely my future mother in law) some people ticked me off (namely, my future mother in law) but I think its all good now. Plans are moving along, slowly but surely, and I have not lost my mind yet. All in all, I think 2009 is turning out ok.

Jets are out of the playoffs (poor Favre) so I've mostly lost intrest. If we had cable or something it would be much easier to keep in touch with the football and hockey worlds, but we don't. And it's just too much work trying to keep up with things online or in the papers. Rather, I don't think I care enough to do that. Maybe this summer we could get dish. I would love to have the food network back. It's too bad they dont have plans where you pay per channel and you can pick theones you want. Whatever company does that first would get a lot of new customers I bet.

Having a wedding pow wow tomorrow night with the parents to make sure everyone is on the same page. Its getting very hard to keep everyone happy. I swear, planning a wedding isn't stressfil... planning a wedding and trying to keep everyone happy is the stressful part. Wish me luck...

Decorations!

Last night my mom, her neighbor Margaret, Zach and I went shopping in search of decorations. Thank goodness I changed the second color to silver. Zach and I walked into A.C. Moore and they had all of their Christmas stuff discounted way down... and there was tons of silver stuff! We got a few different things to decorate with and we also got the mirrors to put the candles on... but we had to get a rain check for the candles. They didn't have 30 in the size we wanted. LOL. Pictures to follow sometime...

Zach and I went to look at rings yesterday at the place when he got my engagement ring. The jeweler was really excited to get working on my band and already had ideas for it. I'm dropping it off next Monday (no ring for a while :/ ) so he can custom fit it to my engagement ring. That way they will fit together perfectly.

I restarted the baby blanket. It was making me mad and I didn't like how it was turning out, so I started over with a different pattern, which I like much better.

Wedding Progress

Whew! It has been a wedding planning marathon. I had lunch with my mom, aunt, and cousin at the place my aunt wants to have one of my showers. The food was excellent and its a cute little inn/restaurant. That's booked now. Then I think the guest list in FINALLY done. YAY! Invitations and thank you cards are ordered, addresses are being compiled, food for the reception is chosen. Cake decisions will be made this week, the Moose will be booked and deposit made this week, and hopefully I will still be sane!

I remembered what the next knitting project I wanted to start is... can't say it on here in case the certain someone reads this, but it will be fun. Baby blanket is coming along nicely... I would estimate its at least 8 inches long. Not bad for about 2 weeks of work. I have a feeling a lot of it will get done over the next few days... its my stress reliever :) I think I might have to hide the alcohol... kidding. Maybe.

Life after the holidays

I'm lucky. Even though I love the holidays, I never get that post-holiday slump. Maybe this year it had something to do with planning a wedding... that I got my dress for yesterday! I LOVE IT. And because we found out yesterday that everyone's (including my bridesmaids) dresses had to be in by yesterday if we didn't want to pay at least $15 extra per dress... everyone got their dresses yesterday! Karen was even a good sport and picked hers out via pictures sent to her phone! Thanks everyone! Not the way I would have liked to do it, but now its all done and out of the way. Still plenty to do... got to get the guest list finalized. I HATE doing the guest list. It's terrible because you just want to be able to invite everyone and its not possible.

I'm off to work for the day. Hope everyone has a nice, cold Saturday! Movie night tonight!

2009

First and foremost- Happy Birthday Cara!

The first day of a new year. I try not to get caught up in all the hype that surrounds the first of January. Sure, I'll make my resolution list and celebrate when the ball drops. But in reality it's just another day on the calendar, another 24 hour period for us to live our lives. While I love that so many people make decisions to try to better themselves, why can't that be done on any other day?
But if this is what it takes for people to make better decisions, I'm all for it.

What are my New Years resolutions? To get in shape for my wedding. I'm not trying to loose any amount of weight, but I want to tone up a bit so I look slim and toned, at least from the waist up. No one can see my hips and thighs anyway in my dress :) I also want to spend more time doing things I love with people I love. It would be really cool if I could find a knitting or crochet group, but mostly I just want to stop doing all that crap that you don't like much anyway that takes up time from doing other things. I want to spend more meaningful time with Zach before he leaves, and I want to spend more time with my friends just hanging out.

What are your New Year resolutions? Do you make any?